Monthly Archives: May 2011

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Facial paralysis or Bell’s palsy majorly disrupts the patient’s ability to smile normally. Every time a facial paralysis patient tries to smile, the face gets drawn towards the affected side. Plastic surgery of the lips can majorly normalize this symptom by enhancing the smile of the patient. Though facial plastic surgery is being considered as a more crucial option for the paediatric population, the extent to which the improvements in smiles have been noticed in the children and adults is the same.

Though not all, breast and ovarian cancers do run in families. As the transfer of breast and ovarian cancers is controlled by mutation of genes named BRCA1, and BRCA2, the risk of transmission of these cancers from one generation to another is higher. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are the key genes that play a prime role in mutation and repair of DNA. The only caution that can be practiced to avoid the setting of breast and ovarian cancers is the bilateral removal of respective organs at the age when the onset of these cancerous conditions is expected.

A discrete study performed on anorexic subjects revealed the fact that most of the patients were born between the months of March to June. The plausible factors that have been implicated for this finding are extreme changes of temperature, maternal nutrition, and level of Vitamin D in the body. Yet another condition that has been found commonly in the subjects who were born in spring season is schizophrenia. Susceptibility to the condition of anorexia nervosa was found to a very rare extent in people who were born in autumn season.

According to the recent study performed at the University of British Columbia, women find happy men comparatively less attractive than contemplative men. On the other hand, men were found to be more attracted towards the women who were glad than the ones who looked confident. It is believed that these attractions laws bear a link with the evolutionary phases of men and women that have prevailed in the society over the decades. For instance, men have always been viewed as the provider of assets for the family and therefore women have the tendency of fitting contemplative men in that frame.

Though the etiological factors of many neurodegenerative disorders are still a mystery, researchers have encountered a common findings in all the neurologically affected patients. These common findings were the presence of DNA-attacking oxygen molecule variant and high levels of iron and copper in brain. Abnormally high levels of iron and copper in brain might deteriorate mental health by promoting the production of DNA-attacking oxygen molecule and interfering with the repair process of DNA. The commonest neurodegenerative disorders that are caused by these debilitating changes are Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

IPS cells (Induced Pluripotent Stem cells) are the high potency cells that have brought hope into the lives of many visually impaired patients. The results of the recent study performed on these cells claim that skin’s stem cells are capable of curing many impaired retina conditions like age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, diabetic retinopathy. After the introduction of IPS cells (Induced Pluripotent Stem cells) into the eye, a satisfactory level of retinal reconstruction was achieved within four to six weeks.

An enthusiastic team of scientists at the University of Louisville has come up with a breakthrough in the treatment of paraplegia. This study was performed on a patient who suffered with lower body paralysis. After undergoing an extensive locomotor training, tremendous results were achieved in the same subject in the form of ability to stand up independently. Epidural electrical stimulation enhances the quality of signal transmission from the brain to spinal cord and accentuates the movements of joints and muscles.

The answer is ‘Yes’. Hypogonadism is a state that is marked by the presence of low-end testosterone levels in men. This lowering of testosterone hormone is detected by the T cells of the brain. This detection is followed by the state of depression, lack of confidence, and lowered memory retention in men. In fact, hypogonadism is the condition that promotes the deposition of visceral body fat which makes men look fat with a ‘pot’ belly even when they are eating in normal amounts.

Daytime sleepiness in kids is a condition that can be potently linked with factors like abnormal breathing pattern during sleep and inadequacy of sleep in the night hours. This problem is capable of giving way to the condition of sleep apnoea or interrupted breathing. If not corrected in childhood daytime sleepiness makes the way for health problems like asthma, restlessness, and obesity in the kids by the time they reach puberty.

Gut Problems like dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome, gastritis can actually be linked with depression and anxiety at some or the other stage in life. The crucial nerve that links the gut with brain’s most sensitive areas is vagus nerve. Researchers in America have found out that gastric problems increment the production of stress hormones like corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) which in turn increase the sensitivity quotient of a human being to stress.